One by One
by Makai23
Summary: AU MM BR YY When Malik arrives in Domino from Egypt, he gets entangled in a web of love and betrayl contained within high school.
1. First Meeting

I'm just going to clear some stuff up. I'm going by the american high school system, you know, freshman, sophomore, junior, then senior. Yugi, Ryou, and Malik are sophomore and all the other noticable one are seniors, unless I specifically say they're not. Okay! On with the story!

Malik ran through the crowd of the bazaar, pulling on a hideous green and yellow jacket as he moved. He dodged customers and various objects as he made his way to the only school near his village, arriving at the teaching facility just as the bell rang. In Egypt, Malik was already notorious for being late almost everyday, so his first teacher paid him no heed when he snuck in quietly.

Class had been in session for nearly ten hours, not including the lunch break, when a man with a long black cloak to walk into the room with a purposeful stride. He was bald on every part of his head except for the nape of his neck were thick black hair poured down, tied back in a ponytail. He whispered to the instructor, who motioned for Malik to follow him, and the blonde swiftly obeyed. Despite the fact that he was the heir to the most powerful corporation in Egypt, he was just as succeptible to flogging as the other students were.

Malik, however, recognized the male as a servant in his mansion, so his sister had to have sent for him. He bowed in greeting as soon as they weren't in view of the others, and allowed the greeting to head back to him. "I am assuming the Isis wishes me to see her?"

"Yes, Master Malik. She seems quite fretful. I came as fast as I could. Please head home quickly," pleaded the burly man. Malik nodded and took off. His shoulder-bag clunked against his back and he eventually ran with it in his hand.

He arrived at the large, two-story building he knew as both home and work in less than ten minutes to catch the sight of his older sister pacing around the front porch. That vision alone was enough to make Malik sure that something devastating had happened; Isis had never exagerated in her entire life. When Malik broke his arm at age seven, Isis calmly deduced that there was nothing life-threatening about the injury and, instead of screaming or fainting, had walked over to the phone and gently called for the family doctor.

Malik never forgot that moment.

When the blonde reached where the female was trying and failing to calm down, his heart was beating a mile a minute. "Isis? Sister? What has happened?"

She waved her hand in the direction of the wooden chair and Malik sat with the perfect posture expected from the heir of the Ishtar Corporation. "Malik, how do you like Egypt? Would you ever like to leave this place?"

Malik's eyes widened. Is that why Isis was upset? They were leaving? Malik had never thought about what would happen if they had to leave their home that stood next to a village in the middle of a large desert.

"I like Egypt well enough, Sister, but I've always wanted to explore. Being chained down to one place doesn't suit my spirit. I would like very much to leave and have the chance to see other town and cities," he admitted. His words, though lavish, were heart-felt and Isis allowed a smile to appear. So that was what she was worried about.

"And if you were to explore. . .alone?" She inquired.

"I don't know. I've never thought about being parted from you. I suppose I would survive," he stated, puzzled. Was she thinking of sending him off and staying in Egypt alone? He frowned at the thought. Egypt was no pace for a woman alone. Well, not traditionally, but Malik grinned and thought about how tradition meant nothing to Isis.

"That makes me feel better," she confided. Her serious expression was broken and she hugged him close. "You are the best brother I ever had."

"I'm the only brother you've ever had," he said with a snort. "I can only guess that I am being shipped off to enother place that isn't in Egypt? That is why you are troubled, is it not?"

"Yes. Domino City, Japan is having a Egyptian exhibit at the Domino Museum and they are asking for some very old relics. Business of the Corporation keeps me here, but not you. You would be able to advise them on what they should do and you will have the authority to make them handle the artifacts with care," she said. Malik raised a defined eyebrow in her direction.

"There has to be another reason. You could easily send someone with a lot more experience in these kinds of events than I have, but yet you choose to send me, and, I hate to admit this, you are a very protective old sister. You wouldn't send me just for that," he said, thinking the scenario through.

She sighed and fell to sit beside him. "Japan has a collection of hieroglyphs from a tomb that was found in old time Thebes. It could hold a great connection to the tomb protectors and I believe that it is worth both your and my time. You are the only one that posesses knowledge of how the ancient pharoahs, tomb robbers, and guardians wrote. You are the most qualified for this job and even a protective sister can see that. You will go, won't you?"

"Of course. Japanese isn't my best language, but I think I'll live," said Malik, managing to contain his glee. Isis excused him and he immeadiantly headed towards his room, taking off his despicable uniform for the last time in a while and changing into a light purple shirt and black slacks, adding a golden wristband on each hand and a golden choker around his neck.

He took the steps down to the first floor kitchen and took out numerous ingrediants, deciding to prepare a feast. Culinary Arts always interested him and, whenever he could find the time, he made the food around the house, sometimes even for the corporation meetings.

"You seem to be very excited, little brother. Are you not the least bit nervous?" Isis asked as she set the table for two. The servants watched in unrest, as they were used to doing those jobs, but they appeared happy that their master and mistress were feeling well.

He shook his head and set the food around the table after forty minutes of preparing just a main course and a few side dishes. He smiled almost the entire night and asked when he was supposed to leave.

"You may leave tomorrow, if you wish. Then you can get used to your lifestyle before you also have to work at the museum. That is what I would suggest," announced Isis, setting the dishes in the sink.

Malik agreed and told her that was what he would do. Happily, he set to getting the things he would absolutely need. He was in charge of most of their funds, since Isis loved to shop at the normal bazaars, so he would have enough financial aid to get new clothes for his Japanese life.

He found a reasonably sized suitcase and filled it before heading to his bed. Pulling the comforter up to the middle of his chest to fend off the cold that dominated the desert after sundown, the last thought that entered his mind was that he would finally be able to live without being thought of simply as a symbol for the Ishtar Corporation.

Malik arrived in Domino City, Japan at about five the next morning. Isis arranged for him to have a house to himself, despite the fact that Malik had insisted on an apartment, so he already had living arrangements, and he was enrolled in Domino High as a sophmore. He had to go to school the very day he got to Japan, so Malik was terribly excited and was beginning to feel slightly nervous.

He was wearing a white shirt that rode up his stomach and golden pants with Egyptian sandals. His normal choker and bracelets were worn as decoration as well as a light blue jacket that was being practically torn apart as he played with the buttons and zipper because of his now-present nerves.

He grumbled with a yawn as he got off the plane and grabbed his luggage, hailing a cab and having them drive to his new residence, which happened to be written down in Isis's little golden book. As Malik was flipping through it on the vehicle, he was suddenly aware that Isis never missed anything that he did which was good or bad. She had everyhting written down in that book, which made the blonde wonder why she had given it to him.

His lavender eyes flickered over each of the pages and he fell forward as the driver stopped. He made a mental note never to get a cab ever again as he paid the older man and Malik frowned at the look in the man's eyes. He blushed as he realized he was being studied and fled to the safe confines of his new home.

When he made it inside, he hastily pulled off his provocative clothing and dressed in the blue and white uniform of Domino High. He was forced to search for thirty minutes for the student briefcase he was supposed to carry and his mandatory black shoes before he headed down the street to where Isis's written directions described.

He spotted a group of three students, one with the oddest hair style that consisted of three different colors, and another that had a head of snow white hair. The other, Malik was shocked to realize, looked almost exactly like him, as though they could be twins, but Malik seemed to be a few inches shorter.

They disappeared from view and Malik hurried to the front office, hearing the bell ring. He groaned. Apparently he was destined to be late no matter where he migrated to. He nodded in the direction of the secretary and smiled softly. "I'm Malik Ishtar. I was told to arrive here before heading to class."

"Why, aren't you the nice one," she giggled. Malik blushed. "Malik Ishtar, eh? Yes. Your records say you are supposed to head to Konomo-sensei's class first. Wait. . .are you sure that you are a sophmore? These classes are meant for the seniors."

"I was homeschooled in Egypt as well as going to normal highschool, so I received a lot of individual attention. Anything I didn't understand, I worked on in my own time so I wouldn't fall behind in any class," he said, rubbing his neck at the amazed stare the secretary sent in his direction.

"I see. You're almost like Motou-san," she awed. After a second, she raised her voice. "Yugi-san! Come here!"

Asmall boy with multi-colored hair walked up and, with innocent eyes, looked up and down. However, unlike when the cab driver did it, Malik didn't feel like he was being mentally undressed. The shorter man held out his hand. "I'm Yugi Motou. You can call me Yugi."

"Hello, Yugi-san. I'm Malik Ishtar," he said, bowing slightly. The secretary held out a note to Yugi, who accepted it with a smile that made the woman turn to a puddle of warm goo. "Are you escorting me to class?"

"Yes, Ishtar-san. This is your schedule and, how odd, it's almost exactly like mine," giggled Yugi. "I take it you like Egypt? You have two different classes with it. Mythology and Ancient Structures. . .hmmm. . .You like to look at tombs and read the hieroglyphs, don't you?"

"Well, yes. Who wouldn't? And how did you know?" demanded the taller male. Yugi laughed again, still without any malice intended.

"You like mythology, and I've already taken that class, so there is a brief spot where hieroglyphs are mentioned, and it's clearly stated that all myths are written in old time hieroglyphs that only a handful of people can read. And, considering that you are studying ancient structures, you seem like you're trying to learn specifically about tombs and the traps kept in them," Yugi said, smiling.

"Wha--?" Malik started, but Yugi stopped at the sliding door and pushed the schedule into his hands.

"This is your class. That should explain who you are and why you are late," announced Yugi. He waved and turned to leave, taking off.

"Bye, Yugi!" called Malik softly. He opened the door silently, and stepped inside, seeing the white-haired man he saw walking to school sitting next to the Yugi look alike, apparently glaring at one another and not paying attention to Malik. "I'm Malik Ishtar, and transfer student from Egypt."

"Egypt?" came the soft voice. Malik recognized a male about an three inches taller than Yugi with the pale skin and hair just like the man having a glaring contest with Yugi's twin. Malik caught his eye and flashed him an smile, in which he received a hesitant quirk of the lips in response before the male turned red and looked down at his book.

The teacher looked around, trying to find an empty seat. "Bakura, raise your hand. Malik, do you see him?"

Resisting the urge to say "no" just to annoy the instructor, he nodded silently. The teacher smiled and spoke, "You may sit in the empty chair behind him. That's all right, isn't it?"

"Of course," said Malik, moving silently to the back. It wasn't long before he started being on the end of many strange looks. At the end of that class, which happened to be his math for the day, he stood up and quickly as he could do gracefully, and caught up with the one who had spoken earlier. "Hey! Hey, you! Wait!"

Oh yeah, he thought angrily, that'll get his attention. If it does, he'll think I'm crazy...geez, Malik, did you leave all sense of tact in Egypt? If I spoke like this is a meeting, I'd be flayed by Isis later.

Brown eyes turned to him, however, and he was favored with a larger smile than before. "Hello. How may I help you?"

"Um, I was hoping I could speak with you," he admitted. Brown eyes widened slightly before retracting. "That's if you don't mind, of course. I wouldn't like to impede on your daily plans."

White hair shook and he denied the statement. "No, of course not! I'm just, you know, not the most popular guy in school and I was just thinking why would you hang out with me? I'm nothing special. I'm Ryou, by the way."

"Malik Ishtar," he said, smiling. Ryou's eyes went big again.

"Of the Ishtar Corporation? Wow! I neverthought I'd meet a celebrity," said Ryou. He noticed Malik's sudden quietness and frowned. "I guess you don't like being overshadowed by your family legacy, either, huh?"

"Either?" prompted Malik with a sly smile. Ryou blushed.

"My father is a famous archeologists. I was forced to study Egypt. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Egypt dearly, but I would like to have my own choice every once in a while," admited Ryou softly. Then he perked up. "You've met Yugi already, right?"

"Yes, why?" asked Malik politely.

"Yugi is supposedly the best in all the Egyptian classes. His grandfather sometimes works with my father on digs. It's actually how we were first introduced," said Ryou, shrugging. They arrived at their next class and Malik was yet again moved to an empty desk that was placed in the very rear of the room. Ryou was in the class, along with Yugi and Malik's look alike.

By lunch, Malik found out he had all classes so far, except first period, with Yugi, he had all classes with Ryou, two periods with Ryou and Yugi's look alikes, and three with Malik's look alike.

"What's going on?" asked Malik as he sat down under a tree with Yugi and Ryou and watched as the crowd around school parted to let a certain group through. "It's like Moses and the Red Sea."

"Just wait a second," said Yugi. The groupd emerged and he nodded. "Introductions are in order. You see the one at the head of the group, with the brown hair and blue eyes, really tall? That's Seto Kaiba, the owner of Kaiba Corporation. He's a human icicle, except when he's around his little brother, or around Katsuya Jonouchi, which brings us to the next of the group. You see the male blonde on with the really sad brown puppy dog eyes? That's Kaiba-san's boyfriend. He's really nice and happy most of the time except when he gets depressed. He's one of the few who haven't ever been mean to me or Ryou."

Yugi paused to eat some of his food and Ryou picked up, starting with the next in the line, a busty blonde female with blonde hair and purple eyes a couple shades darker than Yugi's.

"He name is Mai. She's very. . .fiery. She doesn't like people who do wrong and has no patience for people who waste her time. The next one is Yami. You see his exotic red eyes and hair? He doesn't look like either his mother or fther cause he's adopted, so don't be surprised if you see them. Ask Yugi, though, he knows Yami's history very well. He can tell you about every person that Yami has ever dated, seen, met with, talked about, or talked with. You say, maybe I wouldn't think that was so bad, but Yugi can do it in order of when the events occured. In short, he's realy obsessed with Yami," said Ryou with a grin.

Yugi choked and glared at Ryou while Malik, concerned, patted him on the back gently.

"The next is Bakura. He's got this really, 'mess-with-me-and-I'll-kill-you' look about him that Ryou seems to drool over. By the way, if you ever see him outside of school, stay away. Bakura not only looks dangerous, he is. Bakura lives by himself and, just to make sure you understand what I mean, there is a poll going on around school to guess how many dead bodies Bakura has stored in his apartment," said Yugi, earning himself a wicked look from Ryou that seemed as harmful as a kitten.

The group sat down at a nearby table that unihabited and began speaking. Jono was practically sitting in Kaiba's lap, playing with the taller man's hands, but neither of them seemed to be paying attention to what the other was doing. It looked like it was merely a habit that grew in time. A teacher walked by, but didn't comment, and Malik wondered about what was going on.

After a few minutes of watching them laugh and talk with one another, Malik's look alike walked up and nudged Bakura to make him scoot over. Unlike the growl he offered a few minutes ago when Mai accidentally touched him, Bakura calmly moved to the saide, away from Yami and the man sat down. Yugi hit himself on the head.

"How could I have forgotten? Marik wasn't with them! I was wondering why they were looking tame," stated the small boy.

"Marik is a pyscho in every sense of the word. I don't mean that he's slow or stupid or anything like that, because he's like a genius, though he's got nothing on our little Yugi, but Marik is freaking crazy. He pushes people just to see how they'll react and he carries a dagger around with him, even to school. Everytime the teachers search him, however, it suddenly disappears. After a while, he complained and, because he comes from a prominent family, the pricipal told the teachers to stop," said Ryou cautiously. "You shouldn't go near him, Malik."

"What did you mean when you said that he's a genius, but he's not like Yugi?" asked Malik, completely ignoring the warning.

"Yugi didn't tell you? Well, considering how shy he is, I suppose he wouldn't. Yugi is a sophmore, but even whenhe was freshman, he's been taking classes that are meant for very intellegent seniors," admitted Ryou. Yugi blushed.

Malik grinned and patted him on the back heartily. A burly man walked up and, completely ignoring Malik and Ryou, started to rouch Yugi up. After Yugi had gotten a fist in his gut and coughed up a bit of blood, Malik was ready to make sure that the bully would never be able to have children.

He grabbed the man's fist and, with an angry glint in his eyes, he twisted the shoulder joint painfully behind the other's back. There was a pop and the shoulder plates dislocated in a single, smooth motion. The taller male shrieked, grabbing the attention of many teachers standing by who finally paid some attention to the scuffle.

"Hey! What are you doing! Oh, when I first saw you, I knew you were going to be trouble!" said a teacher, running towards them to investigate. Malik blached in disgust and glared. "You have detention after school, Malik Ishtar!"

"Oh, when Yugi's getting beaten up, you fail to notice, yet when someone retaliates, your vision suddenly in in hyper-mode," he spat. After that, he became incoherent and started muttering Egyptian curses under his breath. Another shout rang out and Marik stood with Bakura, facing off dangerously.

"What the fuck is your problem, Marik?" yelled Bakura, holding the side of his stomach with a furious expression on his face. He looked about to murder what many considered his closest friend.

"Just thought you would look better black and blue," taunted the male, staying on the balls of his feet. After the comment, unnoticable to all but Malik, a grin popped up on each of their faces.

"Marik! Bakura! What is going on today?" moaned a teacher. "You should both have detention after school with Malik! Although I doubt you'll answer me, truthfully at leats, who started this fight?"

"I did," piped up Marik with a smirk. The teacher stared and then looked at Bakura, who shrugged and sat down, suddenly not hurt. "I punched Bakura in the gut with no provocation on his part."

"Marik, I'm so surprised you would act this way," said the teacher. Marik snorted.

"No, you're not. I act like this way all the time. What you mean to say is that you're surprised I didn't turn on Bakura a lot sooner than I did," said Marik, growling. Malik giggled softly, but only Ryou heard him and the albino male stared at him in wonder.

"Well, Marik, I have to send you to detention after school," stated the female. Marik nodded morosely, but then went back to where Bakura was sitting and placed his head on the wood, resting his eyes.

Yugi and Ryou looked at one another as the teacher walked away with one last glare. "Malik, you're going to be stuck alone with Marik for almost an hour! You're not going to survive!"

"Please, spare me," snorted Malik. The bell rang and he walked inside with a glance behind him to show Ryou and Yugi's worried expressions. He shrugged and continued walking into the school.

The day was uneventful. Malik discovered he was, once again, way ahead of the classes and the entire year would most likely just be a review to him. The last bell rang and Malik, with the instructions of Yugi, who was an office assisstant, made it to the detention room without any trouble.

A teacher was already falling asleep at the desk and Malik shuffled in quietly to make sure the instructor stayed practically comatose. He claimed a seat that was next to the window and waved cheerily at Yugi and Ryou as they walked home together, speaking to each other. Malik was on the third floor, so he didn't bother yelling, but was glad when they at least waved back up at him.

"They like you a lot," observed a voice from right next to his ear. Warm breath puffed across his cheek and Malik jumped slightly, causing whoever it was to chuckle. "I assume they informed you of who I am from the way they were behaving, and from the way you seem to study me like I'm a test tube animal."

"Marik, right?" asked Malik softly. The man stood up and nodded slightly. A smile was playing with his lips and Malik found himself staring. Unable to think of a lie quick enough, Malik told the truth. "They told me that you're a psycho."

Marik grinned. "Were it anyone else, I would probably get angry and decide to give them a reason to call me a psycho, but Bakura and Yami have their sights set on them, so I have no right to touch them unless I want to get killed."

"Yami and Bakura have a thing for Yugi and Ryou?" gaped Malik, his lavender eyes widening. Marik nodded and sat down in a desk across from Malik, who was leaning on one elbow, his face in his hands. "Well, fancy that. Yugi and Ryou both have crushes on them, too."

"I suppose it's only to be expected," said Marik.

"What do you mean?" questioned the shorter boy. He gave Marik a puzzle expression and Marik shrugged. "You have to explain a comment like that."

"Yami likes gentle things. It's not a wellknown fact, but I assume Yugi knows, Yami was adopted, and I've only been over to his home a few times, but he like animals. Birds, rabbits, and kittens, mostly anything that could be described as cute, furry, or small. Animals intrest him and, despite the fact that he can sometimes be a total airhead, he knows what he's talking about when it comes to animals," said Marik.

"He wants to be a vet, then?"

"Nope. Yami would hate that."

"What?"

"I said no. The reason Yami knows so much is because when he got his first animal, it started dying and he didn't know what to do about it. He searched everything and, once Yami knows something, it takes quite a bit to make him unlearn it. He likes studying archeology."

"What about Bakura? You also said it was oly natural that Ryou and Bakura would be attracted to one another," reminded Malik.

"Bakura is a very lonely person. That's why he's so hostile and why I get along with him so well. I don't pester him for meaningless words and we get along quite well in complete silence. With as cute and openhearted boy as Ryou, Bakura could quite possibly learn how to become relatively human again," said Marik.

"How long have you known Bakura?"

"I've known Bakura and Yami for twelve years next month," said Marik. "They met about a year before they met me, though, so despite that Yami so damn cheerful all the time, Bakura still stands him. Well, it also has to do with the fact that Yami would completely wipe out Bakura is he really chose to get angry with him."

"Huh. Well, what about you?" asked Malik mindlessly. Marik stared at him oddly. "What?"

"I'm trying to think of what you are asking about," confessed Marik.

"Who do you like?" inquired Malik, more self-conscious this time, feeling a blush light up his face. Marik shook his head.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"I wouldn't ask if it was, now would I?" demanded the blonde. Marik leaned in and whispered in Malik's ear.

"You."

His tongue darted out to carress his earlobe and Malik felt a shiver go through his body. As Marik pulled back, Malik went forwards, capturing his lips and tackling Marik out of the chair. Marik mixed a moan with a laugh and tangled his fingers in Malik's hair while Malik gripped Marik's face, eagerly licking the older boy's lips.

They suddenly parted from one another for need of air and noticed their position and Malik blushed the same color as a tomato. He was straddling Marik, who's hands rested on Malik's thighs, and their faces were scant inches apart. Marik bucked upwards and, if possible, Malik got redder and jumped back.

The older male allowed Malik to stumbled backwards and lifted a hand to his forehead, pushing his bangs back and he started laughing there on the ground. Malik grumbled.

"It's not that funny."

"Yes it is," grinned Marik. "Well, because I wouldn't like to be teased by Yami and Bakura, would you introduce Yugi and Ryou to them tomorrow? It would be quite amusing to see them gape like fish out of water."

"Huh?"

"You've never heard that expression before?" asked Marik quite seriously.

"Marik, pay attention. I mean, really, pay attention. I lived in Egypt. In the middle of a desert," Malik deadpanned. Marik laughed and Malik realized that he could get used to the sound.

"Of course."

Malik, looking at the sleeping teacher, motioned to the door. Marik grinned and nodded. They walked outside in complete silence and left the school nearly twenty minutes earlier than they were supposed to.

"Well, as fun as this has been, I must go," said Marik.

"Hey, uh, I don't. . ." trailed off Malik.

Marik rolled his eyes. "You don't know where we stand, right? Let me clear this up for you."

Marik leaned close and pushed down the collar of Malik's jacket, attaching his lips to the base of his neck and sucking. Malik gasped and felt Marik smile and then bite down on the slightly sensitive flesh. The younger boy could feel the blood welling just before Marik licked it off. He stepped back and genuinely smiled.

"You belong to me now, Malik-chan. Get used to it," ordered Marik. Malik felt his blood boil, whether from anger or passion, he didn't know, but he couldn't help but smile as Marik walked away in the opposite direction that Malik would take. The blonde grinned to himself.

This looked rather interesting, and it was only his first day of school in Japan. Malik rushed home and began thinking about what would happen the next day.

Click the little review button! You know you want to!


	2. Uncertain Happenings

Hello! I'm really sorry I didn't continue this story sooner, but I'll explain why. Anyone that lives in my county, well, mostly anyone, knows that a good friend of mine, Devin Rape, got hit by car a little while ago, was kept in ICU for a few days, then had his funeral a few days later. Even so, that's not all of the reason why I haven't written.

My rabbit Phawn has died from cold exposure, my dog Tiger has died from old age, the disk that this story was saved on got too close to a magnet and was erased(meaning that this is a second copy) and I hate nothing more than to rewrite a story. I assure all of these instances have made me cry like nothing else. Hopefully, it won't happen next time and my update will be a lot quicker.

On with the Chapter!

Malik awoke to a rather loud ringing in his left ear. His eyes blinked open and caught the sight of blaring red numbers just before he unplugged the clock and threw it across the room. Feeling a sadistic pleasure when the annoying plastic contraption collided with and broke against the wall, Malik slid his feet out of bed and stood up with a yawn. He made his way to the bathroom, tripping on things that already littered his floor, and sourly turned on the water.

After he finished with his self-hygeine, such as brushing his teeth and washing his face, Malik walked back into his bedroom and eyed the broken alarm clock warily. He sighed in anger because he knew that he would have to waste money to buy another one, simply to have it broken again. As he was fishing through his already dirty closet for his other Domino High uniform, he heard a high pitched tapping on his window.

He turned and strode over to his window, looking outside in surprise. Light lavender irises, framed by a blonde mane, raised to meet Malik's eyes of the same color. The sophomore motioned for the taller male to come in and Marik made his way to the door to accomplish just that.

It only took Marik a few seconds to find the other's room, which both surprised and frightened Malik. He had only met the senior yesterday. Was Marik watching him? If not, how did he find his way up so easily? Malik's room was on the second floor.

Marik sat down on the edge of Malik's gold and silver bed and, as Malik studied him, the suspicions dropped to the back of his mind and faded away. Marik seemed fascinated with Malik's room and Malik, not at all feeling as ashamed as he should have been because of the mess, was following Marik's eyes as they traveled around the room.

First, the senior looked at the bronzed offering statue of Ra, the Egyptian god of the sun, sometimes called Re or Ra-Atum, but when his gaze shifted to the various ancient tomb guardian books that Malik had foolishly left out after he finished studying last night, Malik thanked every god and goddess that he knew of when the senior only raised an eyebrow. The taller male's pupils finally rested on the various weapons that were laying haphazardly across almost every surface.

"Do you even know how to use them?" came the voice that Malik had already fallen in love with. Instead of swooning like he normally would, Malik scoffed at the question.

"Of course. My sister made sure that I was profficient in all of them. I work best with the twin daggers and the staff, but I'm okay with the whip and sword," he said proudly. The arrogant smirk was soon knocked off his face when Marik pulled the short boy into his lap, leaving him sputtering. "Hey--"

Marik grinned and stopped the forth-coming remark with a chaste kiss. Malik groaned and pulled back quickly.

"Stop that!" he snapped, an angry expression contorting his features. Marik looked confused and Malik couldn't help but feel sorry for him, but he schooled his emotions and stood up. "It's rude to interrupt people when they're speaking!"

"What's wrong with you? You're not usually like this," said Marik softly.

"How would you know? I could be bi-polar and act like this normally! You're barely known me for twenty-four hours!" snapped Malik back at him.

Marik growled in the back of his throat and Malik suddenly wished to take back what he had said. He stood up and made for the door, his eyes cold and hurt. Just when he was about to go into the hallway, he turned back. "See you at school, Ishtar."

"Marik, please wait," said Malik suddenly. He scuffed his toe against the wood of his floor and sighed. "Look, I'm not good at this, so I'll only say it once. I apologize. I am not very good mannered when I first wake up. I'm pretty sure I am the reason the phrase 'not a morning person' exists."

"Then we'll just have to work on that, won't we?" asked Marik, his lavender eyes once again open and warm, like the first time Malik saw them. He once again sat down on the bed and glanced down at his watch, then up at Malik, who stared back at him. "You know, we have ten minutes till school starts and you aren't dressed yet."

"Oh, damn!" said Malik, running into the bathroom and slamming the door behind him. He was brushing his hair while coming back into his bedroom a scant two minutes later and he pulled on his shoes, grabbing his school-issue briefcase when Marik held it out.

He picked the key to his door from its position on the coffee table in his living room and the two students rushed out of the door. Marik took Malik's hand and they ran to school, getting inside of the gates just as the bell rang.

Resting against a tree, Malik tried to regain his breath. Marik looked hardly winded and Malik stuck out his tongue. Did he always run a mile in nearly three minutes?

"You shouldn't pick me up anymore. I'm known even in Egypt for being late, no matter how far or close I am to my destination. You'll only be late with me," said Malik bitterly, still attempting to breathe normally. Marik only smirked.

As soon as Malik was able to, they took off again, ramming into a small student as they entered the front office. Pale lavender eyes met deep purple as Marik tried to sit up, rubbing his head.

"That hurt, dammit!" he howled. Malik looked his over and viewed no major injuries and deemed him able to stand up on his own. As soon as Marik stood, the object they ran into bowed as though Marik were a king. Or a pharoah.

"I'm sorry, Marik-sama. I did not see you there," said Yugi Motou, dusting himself off. Marik had to remind himself that this was Yami's favorite person out of the entire student body and were he to hurt him mentally or physically, he would have hell to pay; then he simply scowled and waved off the tiny boy.

Malik sighed. "It wasn't your fault, Yugi. This moron wasn't watching where he was going."

"Thank you for the sympathy, Malik, dear," ground out Marik angrily. Malik grinned and nodded. Yugi watched him with wary eyes, but Marik ignored him easily, focusing on Malik as the male leaned against the wall. The tri-color haired teen had to cough before he had their attention again. "Yes?"

"You do know that the bell has rung, right?" inquired Yugi softly. Malik and Marik both nodded. "Then you both know that I'll have to write you up for being late, right?"

Marik groaned. "Damn. If I get another late note I'm going to be suspended."

Despite the fact that Yugi was the one that was going to personally hand him his doom, Marik found that he couldn't hold it against the sophomore who was only doing his job. Malik patted him on the back, but didn't appear too grieved by it. Marik glared, earning only a laugh.

"You are lucky that Umino-sensei isn't in today," grumbled Yugi. The two blonde looked in his direction as he tore off a red sheet and a blue sheet from two separate pad of paper, scribbling furiously. He strode over and handed the blue one to Marik and the red one to Malik.

Malik stared at it, a questioning expression on his face. "Yugi, what is this?"

"Your official excuse is that you were on time, but I was getting picked on again and you stopped to help. The teachers have a sort of weak spot where their sophomore genius is concerned and they shouldn't give you too much trouble," said Yugi. He smiled and Marik suddenly found out first-hand why Yami favored this boy when there were so many other that were perhaps cuter or, actually, taller. This short male was an angel and Marik couldn't think of anyone, even Malik, that suited the word better.

"Hey, thanks," said Marik. Yugi turned to him and started pushing them through the double doors.

"Shoo, both of you, before I lose my job," ordered Yugi, sitting back down behind the desk, filling out forms quietly. Malik and Marik rushed down the hall and, stopping right outside Malik's classroom, Marik kissed him soundly on the lips and parted, examining Malik's note.

Marik groaned and Malik looked over at him with concern reflected in his eyes. "What's wrong? Did Yugi forget to write down something?"

Marik shook his head. "My first teacher is a pain in the ass. He hates me and if I don't arrive on the time instructed by the tardy ticket, then it's counted as an absence and, like I said, if I get absent once again, I'll be suspended."

"But isn't there something you could do? Let me see your note," instructed the male. Marik handed over both Malik's and his own excuses and Malik studied them like the tomb guardians studied ancient tablets; making sure that nothing was overlooked. Instead of letting out an enraged yell like expected, Malik laughed and handed it back gingerly.

Just before the teacher opened the door to his classroom, Malik kissed Marik on the cheek, walking inside, mouthing the words "Trust me". The teacher glared at Marik until he turned and walked away, looking his longer note over.

Yugi was very intellegent. In fact, he prided himself on that fact. However, this time, even Malik had underestimated his friend's deviousness. The tiny angel now had Marik in his debt and the taller male couldn't wait for their lunch period.

Marik grinned and ran to his first class hastily.

"Marik. Late yet again, I see. What is that, nine times now? I do believe that gets you expelled," said the teacher gleefully, already grabbing a stray pen and fishing through his desk for the expulsion report. Marik handed out his pass and the teacher glared at it, appearing as though he had just swallowed something very bitter.

"First of all, after nine tardies, it's suspension, not expulsion. Second of all, I have a note from the front desk," snapped Marik in his permenant bad mood.

The teacher's beady black eyes searched the note very carefully as though checking for forgeries. He ran his fingers through his overly greasy black hair and glanced back up at the young delinquent.

"Let me get this straight. You arrived at school on time, saw Yugi Motou getting attacked and rushed to his aid with Malik Ishtar and, after Ishtar left for class, you stayed to check for any mental injuries?" inquired the teacher with a disbelieving expression.

Marik nodded noiselessly, examining his well kept for nails.

"That sounds strangely forged," snorted the teacher. Marik shrugged, moving to the back of the class where his seat was. The blonde waved over his head and sat down.

"Check with the boy genius yourself if you don't believe me," said Marik, opened his textbook with a lazy grin. The teacher crumpled the note, threw it away and furiously turned to the chalkboard, continuing with the interrupted lession.

Marik drowned out the instructor almost immediantly. Watching the clock out of the side of his eyes as he buried his face in his arms, Marik waited for the class to end. As the second hand ticked slowly, he was reminded of the old saying, "a watched pot never boils". He sighed and fell asleep slowly.

A loud ringing awoke Marik and he moved to his next class like a zombie. The next three and a half hours passed a lot quicker than the first and Marik couldn't help the yell of mirth as the wait ended and the last bell before his free period, commonly labeled LUNCH, came.

He quickly gathered his books and placed his briefcase in his next class, going to the school courtyard as quickly as he possibly could, searching for Malik around every corner. He was just about to give up and join the "popular" table with his most trusted friends when he heard the tailed end of a conversation.

"--You know you can tell us," came a very calm, slightly English-accented voice. Marik, half of his body concealed behind a sakura tree, listened as the talking started up again. "We wouldn't blame you, Malik. You do know that, right?"

"Blame me? For what?" giggled Malik. He smiled at the two. "You worry too much."

"We're just not used to having friends as out-going as you. And, on the first day of school, you got detention and on the second day you show up with a well-known. . .scary person. . .we just thought. . .I don't know. I'm just not used to this and I worry," admitted Yugi's innocent voice.

"Not used to this? What do you mean? You're in highschool. Live like it!" said Malik.

"Malik, I live in the second story of a gaming shop in downtown Domino with my grandpa. After my mom and dad died in a plane crash when I was seven, I became very introverted and soft spoken. I fear large crowds and I get skittish around people I don't know. You seem like my polar opposite and, because of that, I can't help but worry about you," reasoned Yugi, his intellegence showing through stronger than before.

Malik considered the conversation and sighed. "I'll try to act like a good little boy, okay, Yugi? Ryou?"

"I certainly hope not," said Marik, walking up and placing his arms around Malik's waist. Malik instinctively leaned backwards into the embrace and Marik smiled at the blonde's two friends. "Oh, by the way, I'm pretty sure you know me. As Malik said, I'm described in one word: psycho. Odd, but catchy."

Yugi turned bright pink and Ryou flushed, looking down at the dirt ground as though he discovered something very interesting there. Surprisingly, Ryou was the first to speak, asking, "Malik, you told him?"

The lavender-eyed beauty nodded absently, looking over at where Yami and Bakura were watching the exchange. Marik pushed his present boyfriend off his chest gently and grabbed Yugi's hand, dragging the tiny Domino High student over to where he usually sat. Malik pushed Ryou in front of him and followed the senior.

When they arrived at the now deadly quiet side of the courtyard, Marik shovedYugi and Yami caught him instantly, clearing a spot for the smaller boy to sit next to him. Malik snickered and easily picked Ryou up, setting him down in the fuming Bakura's lap. He grinned as he sat down between Marik's legs, noticing that Ryou hadn't moved and Yugi had scooted close to Yami.

"Well, hey, I'm Malik Ishtar, and for those of you who don't know, that's Ryou Bakura and that's Yugi Motou," introduced the blonde, bowing with a goofy expression on his face.

Yami stared. "Do you mean Ishtar of the Ishtar Corporation?"

"No," said Malik, glaring at Ryou, wordlessly warning him to remain silent. Nobody else noticed the confrontation but Marik, who tightened his arms around Malik's waist.

Chatter started up as Mai walked over and sat on top of the table, stretching, and smirked at Seto, patting him on the head, her hand being slapped away by Jono as soon as he returned from getting drinks for himself and Seto.

As soon as Jono sat down, beside Seto for once, Yami started laughing at random things they spoke of and Bakura kept hitting the older tri-color haired male's forehead silently when he said something that didn't make any sense.

Malik studied the group for the most part, not taking part in the conversation. Yugi and Yami had joined hands and Bakura had his arms around Ryou's waist. However, Marik had been completely innocent throughout the entire period and Malik was starting to wish that he wasn't. As he started thinking, he barely noticed when his hair was parted and pushed over both his shoulders.

It wasn't until a pleasantly warm hand intertwined their fingers, the left hand of Marik massaging Malik's inner thigh, that Malik suddenly felt very hot. Marik tongue slipped out of his mouth and he proceeded to lick and nip at the base of Malik's neck.

The shorter blonde bit back a moan and his one free hand was about to raise to the back of the senior's head when Marik nudged Malik, standing up. They gained the stares of everyone at the table, including Jono, who was currently talking.

Mai hid her laugh behind her right hand and Jono stared. "What's going on?"

"We have to go--"

". . somewhere. . ."

"--to the bathroom--"

"Riiiiight," came the chorus of replies and Marik shot them a dirty look. Mai countered with a vulgar gesture made by the middle finger of her left hand and Malik tugged the senior away.

They rushed, stopping briefly when Marik held the other against the wall, assualting his lips and moving to touch every part of bare skin he could get his hands on. Malik's voice cut through, "We should go somewhere. Oh Ra, anywhere!"

Marik paid him no heed and started tugging at the hem of Malik's shirt. The sophomore raised his arms to helped with the removal of clothing, but it didn't get very far, as a sharp voice rang out, "You two! Stop that right now!"

"Wha--" started Malik, blushing a deep red. His eyes shifted in the direction of the sound and was graced with the sight of an older male that Malik hadn't seen before. He broke away from Marik, who simply stood there, dumbfounded, and stared at the teacher, waiting for a reaction.

"You two, get to the principal's office! Now!" snapped the irritated and slightly dazed instructor. Marik shrugged and grabbed Malik's hand, tugging him away to a foreign place. Malik followed obediently, still unable to comprehend what was going on.

Marik sighed and frowned as they made their way through the hallway and the bell rang, allowing the students to return to class. Considering where they were, at the administrators offices, no students were going to come by, and Malik broke the grip on his hand. Marik studied him carefully.

"Yes?" came the drawling question. Malik leaned against the wall.

"I don't want to go back home," said Malik in a quiet voice. "I was suffocating there."

Marik grinned. "Then don't. This is your first offense and the prinicpal is actually quite lenient when it comes to PDAs."

"You don't understand. My guardian is my sister. If she catches word of this, she could recall me in a minute," stated the blonde, almost trmbling from repressed emotions. His head tilted to the side and glanced at Marik. "PDAs?"

"Public Displays of Affection. Jono and Seto and getting cited all the time, but Seto is a millionaire and he helps fund the school, so he has been let off the hook so many times it's not funny," said Marik, closing his eyes in though. "Unless, of course, you're watching Seto talk to the teachers. Then it's hilarious."

Malik didn't appear convinced and Marik intertwined his fingers around the shorter boy's neck. "You'll be fine, Malik-chan, if I have to take all the blame myself. I mean, it's not like I have parents, so nobody'll care."

The blonde frowned, but made no more objections as they entered the principal's office. Marik found himself grinning, despite Malik's trepidation, and bowed at perhaps the only male to actually earn his respect.

Silver hair flowed from the man's head and it shivered as he shook his head from side to side. "Marik, what am I going to do with you?"

His voice had a sneering quality to it and Malik couldn't figure out why Marik had a liking to this particular human. His tone alone was able to frighten Malik. "You could let me off the hook, you know. I mean, really, who will notice?"

"I will, and that's enough. I was called before you got up here, Marik, and I was informed that you were caught with a first offender. Because of that, you get a loophole," came the principal's voice. Marik smirked.

"Lucky me," he muttered, earning a glare. Malik ws paying rapt attention, though, and didn't notice. "Well. . .?"

The principal sighed and leaned his head back. "I will simply call your gaurdians. So, you should be fine, Marik, but I'll have to call your parents. . .?"

"Malik," prompted the blonde hesitantly.

"No," said Marik firmly. But the principal and Malik turned to frown at him in silence. "Malik can't have someone called. He'll most likely be sent back to his sister."

The silver-haired male growled and stood up. "Marik, I'm already pushing the envelope! Don't make me lose my job!"

Malik rubbed his temple. "It's fine. My sister sent me here for a reason and she won't want to waste the money. I'm sure that if I just promise to not do it again, I can stay. Marik, I'll deal with it, don't worry. Oh, by the way, Principal, what exactly is your name?"

"Pegasus. Maximillion Pegasus," he said. Malik gasped and the tall man dropped back into his chair with an odd glance in Malik's direction. "What's wrong?"

"Do you mean Maximillion Pegasus as the egyptologist pioneer?" demanded Malik. He had never met the man personally, but he had heard stories about the man who dedicated himself to finding all about ancient Egypt, losing his wife in the process.

Pegasus nodded and Malik gaped, but bowed as a professional acknowledgement. Marik watched the situation with calculating eyes, but Malik made no other move. Then Pegasus waved his hand and ordered them out of his office.

They strolled into class, hand in hand, and Yami smirked at them, receiving only a glare and a stuck-out tongue in response. The teacher accepted their notes and pointed them in the direction of their seats. With one last parting glance of sorrow as they moved to where their desks were, on opposite sides of the room, they sat down and waited for the day to end.

Another chapter! Yay! Oh, and, I have a cold, so, sorry if I cough on you.


End file.
